Review Summary

This magnificent ode to Factory Records tracks the rise and fall of that postpunk label. The film's central figure is Factory's co-founder and journalist turned postpunk impresario, Tony Wilson, played with a stinging, unctuous vitality by Steve Coogan. Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the picture is an illustrated history as related by Mr. Wilson. Every time he opens his mouth, it's a roaming, hilarious monologue about Factory, by which he means himself. In some ways, it's a power-pop docu-comedy version of "The Kid Stays in the Picture," the story of a man recreating the world around him in his own image. And like the mogul Robert Evans, Mr. Wilson's talent is taste. — Elvis Mitchell